Fantastic food is one of the major draws of Puglia in southern Italy, where Ryanair has just announced a new route for 2017. We pick five foodie hot spots there and for each cherry-pick an equally delectable property…

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

Discerning celebrities who crave rural privacy and access to some of the Med’s best cuisine and beaches have been slipping off to bolt-holes amongst the Puglian olive groves for some time now, but in recent years the region has been attracting increasing numbers of food-loving second home-owners.

“Tuscany and to a lesser extent Umbria will always be favourites with Brits,” said Elaine Ferguson at PropertyGuides.com. “But the popularity of Puglia, once seen as the poorer, less sophisticated cousin of the northern regions, is on the rise. Known as the breadbasket of Italy, quality fresh food, from both the land and sea, is in abundance. Through into the mix the region’s exciting and varied architecture and laid-back, rustic feel, and you can see why some people prefer it to northern Italy’s more polished feel. It’s encouraging that next summer Ryanair is adding a new flight to Bari from Liverpool.”

Got a growing appetite for a property in Puglia? Here are five foodie spots where you could kick off your property search.

Cisternino
Slap bang in the popular ‘Golden Triangle’ area of Puglia, home to the pretty Itria Valley and the highest concentration of those conical stone character homes called trullos (or trulli), Cisternino is a meat lovers paradise. The ancient town is famous for its barbecuing butchers, or ‘rosticcerias’. Diners select their own cuts of meat from a counter and then request how they want it cooked there and then! The neighbouring towns of Locorontondo and Martina Franca are also equally into their meat – and just as pretty. This four-bedroom extended trullo would be the ideal place to retire to on a full belly. Converted to a high standard, it comes with 10,000 sq metres of land. For more info, click on the image.

Gallipoli
Wherever you are on Puglia’s coastline you’ll find excellent fresh seafood and fish, with each area specialising in something different. Around Bari and Polignano on the east coast, for example, they have a penchant for raw seafood, in particular sea urchins. We’ve picked Gallipoli, in the southern part of Puglia, as the best all-round destination for sea-based cuisine, not least thanks to its choice of water-front restaurants and its excellent fish market. A must try there are the local red shrimps. At this two-bedroom centrally located apartment with views of the fishing boats, you could watch your supper being landed!

Lecce
Puglia’s second largest city after Bari, Lecce’s incredible baroque architecture and its central Piazza del Duomo are complemented by some of the region’s best pasta dishes, some with vegetables others with meat. Especially good with tomato sauce is ‘orecchiette’, Puglia’s signature pasta, and ‘cavatelli’. Restaurants in Lecce usually knead their pasta early in the morning, giving it enough time to be eaten at lunch! The city also has a name for ice cream, if you’re hungry between meals! This smart three-bedroom villa is conveniently located a few kilometres from the centre of Lecce.

Altamura and Andria
Back in the northern part of Puglia are two towns known nationwide for those two staples of most European cuisines, bread and cheese. Bread from Altamura, where wheat is grown locally, is that special it comes with DOP (Proteced Designation of Origin) status and is sold all over Italy. Meanwhile, Andria is where the synonymous creamed mozzarella, Burrata di Andria, comes from; the area is also known for its intensely flavoured olive oils. Once a convent, this elegant eight bedroom villa on the edge of Andria comes with its own chapel. Some TLC could restore it into something really special, perhaps with its own bread oven! 

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